Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. W. SWEET.

CAR COUPLING.

No. 369,369. I Patented Sept. 6, 1887.

a Al A7? (No Model.) 2 sheets-Sheena B. W. SWEET.

GAR COUPLING.

No; 369,369. Patented Sept. 6, 1887.

77331736536 I 1711 0722?? 3, 7/ (fwd 2 or draw-head of a car, the draw-bar .or shank UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn,

. BENJAMIN IV. SWEET, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLlNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369.369, dated September 6, 1887.

Application filed July 14, 1887. Serial No. 244,310. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN W. SWEET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to automatic couplings primarily intended for freight-cars, but which may be used in connection with any form of car.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved coupling in which the conplingpin when raised will be held in such raised position and automatically dropped through the coupling-link upon the coming together of the draw-heads, thereby avoiding the danger resulting to attendants in entering between the cars in the ordinary manner of coupling and uncouplingthe same.

My invention consists in a peculiarly-constructed swinging catch or cam, which is detachable from the draw-head, and operates therein to hold the coupling-pin in raised position, in combination with said draw-head and coupling-pin, in the peculiar construction of said catch or cam, and in certain other novel features of construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter disclosed in the description and claims.

In order that my invention maybe fully un derstood by others, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference-letters indicate the same parts, and in which Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of the draw-head provided with my improved coupling, and showing the coupling-pin in its raised position. Fig. 2 repre sents a siniilarviewof the same with the coupling-pin in its lowered position and resting upon and passing through the couplinglink. Fig. 3 represents a detail front view of the catch or cam. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the coupling-pin. Fig. 5 is a diagram of the connections for operating the coupling from the sides and top of a car.

In the drawings, A designates the coupling a thereof being mounted beneath the end of the car-body in the usual or any preferred manner.

a designates the month of the draw-head, and a an elongated longitndinallyextending slot formed in the under side of said drawhead and communicating directly with the month a, as shown. The upper side of the draw-head is provided with a protuberance, a, in which is formed a rectangular opening, a, which extends rearwardly and beneath a ledge, a, as shown. In the side walls of the opening a are formed notches or recesses, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, which constitute bearings for the upper lugs of the earn, as hereinafter explained.

13 designates the coupling-pin, which is longitudinally straight, flat on its front face, and elliptical in cross'section for the remainder of its diameter, and formed or providedwith two oppositely-extending pins or lugs,b, ata point about two-thirds of the distance from its upper to its lower end.

G designates the swinging catch or cam. The upper end of this cam is formed with two oppositely-disposed lugs, c, which extend lat: erally from opposite sides of the cam and rest or have bearing in the notches or recesses formed in the upper surfaces of the side walls of the opening a in the draw-head; also, the front part of the upper end of said cam is formed with two hook-shaped lugs or jaws, 0'. Immediately beneath these lugs c, and separated therefrom by recesses c, are two shoul: ders, 0 A groove or channel, 0, extends vertically or longitudinally of the cam, between the jaws c and shoulders c, as shown in Fig. 3. The lower end of the cam is inclined rearwardly, and a projection or footrest, 0 is formed on the front side of said lower inclined end. \Vhcn the coupling-pin is raised a certain height and its lugs or pins Z) come in contact with the lugs c of the cam, the latter is also slightly raised, thus permitting the footrest 0 to move forward over and restupon the end of the link. In this position of the parts, the lower part of the cam having no chance to swing forward,the couplingpin will be held in such raised position and in readiness to couple again when the coupling-link is withdrawn. of the cam, at a point about midway of its On the rear side of the body portion. I

length, is formed a transverse shoulder or stop, 0, the purpose thereof being hereinafterstated.

In assembling the parts thus far described the earn 0 is dropped into the opening a of the draw-head A and hangs suspended within the mouth a thereof by the lugs c, which rest in the notches or recesses formed in the upper surfaces of the side walls of the opening a in the protuberance a, as above stated. The coupling-pin B is then turned half-round or flatwise and inserted upwardly through the slot a until its pins or lugs I) pass within the mouth of the draw-head. Said coupling-pin is then again turned half-round or edgewise, so as to bring its lugs across the mouth of the draw -head. In this position, with its rear edge resting in the vertical groove or channel c of the cam, said pin is pushed or pulled upward until its lugs or pins 1) fall into the recesses c and become supported upon the shoulders c of the cam. In this position of the parts the cars are ready to be uncoupled. When it is desired to couple the cars and the coupling-link is passed into the draw-head it strikes just above the foot-rest c of the cam and tilts it backward, thus allowing the lugs b of the coupling-pin to escape from the recesses c and shoulders c and causing said pin to drop through and hold the link. WVhen the coupling-pin and cam are in position in the draw-head, they cannot be accidentally thrown or drawn out of the same, owing to the fact that the shoulder or stop 0 on the rear side of the cam comes into contact with the ledge a of said draw-head.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings, D designates a rock-shaft, which is mounted horizontally on the end of the body of a freight-car, just above the draw-head. At each end this shaft is provided with a crank-arm, d, and midway of its length'is rigidly secured a rock arm or rod, d, which is connected by a link, (1 to the upper end of the coupling-pin B. A rod, (1, is connected at its lower end to the outer end of the rock arm or rod (1 and extends upward to the top of the car.

It will be seen that by manipulating the cranks d or rod (1 the coupling-pin B may be operated from either side of the car or from its top; also, that when the rod d or d and link cl are fastened to the coupling-pin the latter is prevented from coming out of the draw-head by the shoulder or stop 0 of the cam 0 coming in contact with the ledge also, that when the pin is attached to the link and rod it is thereby prevented from turning and coming out, and also from falling down but, as before stated, my improved coupling proper is not restricted in use to freight-cars, but is capable of employment in connection with any kind of car.

For coupling cars with my improved coupling devices it is not necessary to pull the cars apart, as the pin can be raised sufficiently for the link to enter the draw-heads for this purpose. The coupling-link employed by me is of the ordinary elliptical or other equivalent form.

In the event of the coupling-link entering the draw-head when the coupling-pin is down, the latter and the cam .will be moved back within the draw-head and impinge against the rear wall of the recess formed therein, so that no injury to the parts will occur.

The coupling-pin may be inserted in the draw-head either from above or below, and when inserted from above it is only necessary to raise the cam till its stop 0 comes in contact with the ledge a Then insert the pin and turn the same half-round, in the same manner in which said pin is inserted from the bottom of the draw-head, as before described.

An important feature of my invention, which, so far as I am aware, no other automatic coupling possesses, resides in the fact that each of the parts of my coupling is cast in a single complete piece, thus avoiding all subsequent machine-work for finishing the parts so as to render them ready for use. The cam is preferably made of cast-steel and the draw-bar and head of cast-iron.

I desire it to be understood that I intend using my improved coupling devices in connection with the form of draw-bar shown in the patent granted to R. S. Potter, August 28, 1860, No. 29,815, so that I may use three coupling-links, if desired. In case the center pin should be broken, I could then make the coupling with the side links; but the latter would not be used as long as the center pin was in proper working. order. center and two side links in connection with my improved coupling devices is much safer, and, besides, avoids the delay incident to changing or fitting different-sized pins in the draw-heads of cars running on roads to which they do not belong. My car-coupling and the devices for operating the same from the sides and top of a car are also improvements on'the Potter car-coupling, in that they avoid the ne- The employment of a.

cessity and risk of train-men going between cars to effect couplings, only in case of breakage of the center pin.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my invention, what I claim as new is-- 1. In an automatic car-coupling, the combination of the draw-head, constructed as described, the coupling-pin, and the swinging vertically-movable catch or cam havinga longitudinal groove along its front face, and suitable devices for holding and releasing said coupling-pin, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the draw-head, provided with the elongated longitudinalslot in its under side andwith the aperturcd protuberance on its upper side, with the swinging vertically-movable catch or cam, constructed as described, and the coupling-pin provided with lugs, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the draw-head provided on its under side with the elongated slot scribed, of the rock shaft having the end cranks and rock arm or rod, the link counect- 15 ing the rock-arm to the pin, and the rod extending from said rock-arm to the top of the car, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 20 presence of two Witnesses.

BENJAMIN WV. SWVEET.

Witnesses:

D. P. DAVIES, H. M. ABBOTT. 

